JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission II of the DPR from the Golkar faction, Zulfikar Arse Sadikin, admitted that he did not agree with President Prabowo Subianto's proposal so that regional head elections (pilkada) be carried out indirectly or through the DPRD.
According to Zulfikar, there are still many options for the direct regional election implementation scheme to reduce expensive political costs.
For example, candidate pairs who are known to practice money are immediately disqualified or emphasize that elections are not just a right for voters, but an obligation. If necessary, the campaign is financed by the state.
"There are still many options by engineering this existing system. The campaign method is to use face-to-face, debate, dialogue, which really displays profiles, programs. No more grand campaigns, no more public meeting models, cheap markets, anything more, no need. If necessary, the campaign will be financed by the state bigger," said Zulfikar, Monday, December 16.
"If necessary, elections are no longer a right. If you give money, voters are disqualified, it's no longer a criminal matter. The voting age limit is made only in the age category, not only 17, for example 21. There are still many options," he continued.
Zulfikar assessed that the current direct regional elections were actually carried out to correct the election system indirect in the past. If it is returned back to the DPRD, he said, it could be a setback.
"Demokratis is generally known as two models, some with a single mandate through the DPRD, some have separate mandates chosen directly by the people. We have worked on both of them and the direct elections that we now apply are actually the results of corrections to the DPRD's choice," said Zulfikar.
"Why correct? Because of that, the DPRD's choice did not place the people who had sovereignty, did not place the people as political epicenters, so the direct regional elections were chosen," he added.
Zulfikar also brought up that the regional election system did not immediately provide good experience for democracy. According to him, what needs to be done is to evaluate in terms of rules and norms in the implementation of direct elections.
"So it's not looking back, looking at it, you can but not going back. Unless we have good experience by choosing the DPRD, so that when the reform spirit of democratization is strong, then we are now our direct choice," he explained.
Therefore, according to him, there are still many options apart from returning the Pilkada through the DPRD.
"It's just a matter of going forward, being engined so that this direct election can be avoided from its negative processes. There are many, for example, we make the election three rounds. Regencies/cities simultaneously, 1.5 years later the province simultaneously, the end is national simultaneously. At some point, the executive legislature in one day D elections both in the regions and nationally. We can get regional winners to win also at the national level, so that synchronization between the center and the regions, national policies and regions can run," he explained.
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